The method commonly used in automatic film processing machines is to suspend strips of film to be processed from one end and successively lower the strips into and raise them out of a succession of baths containing the various materials needed to process the film. This method is, however, very cumbersome, and there is a need for an apparatus which is capable of efficiently transporting elongate pieces of material along a predetermined path, and in particular transporting lengths of photographic material through a film processing installation.